The Handmade Business Story

07/01/2025

Hmm, reminds me of the mud after the flood. 🙁🌊☔️

Pantone, you are so on-trend. It’s the Climate Crisis color of the year. 🌍☔️🌀

👉🏻 Read on!

For 2025, the Pantone Color Institute selects PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse, a warming, brown hue imbued with richness. It nurtures us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort.

17/12/2024

Oops, naligaw ba itong photo na ‘to dito?😦

Nope.

I’d just like to say what a huge factor how you visually present your products especially if it’s a food business-

🍜Be it online or served in a physical store.

Dapat, hitsura pa lang, matakam na yung prospective customers nyo. 😏

How?

1. 𝙎𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

Hindi dapat magulo yung mismong pagkain na produkto. Ayusin ang mga ingredients ng putahe.

(Yes, you do need to arrange the ingredients on the plate.)

2. 𝙈𝙖𝙖𝙮𝙤𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙.

If you opt for a printed cloth, the patterns and colors should not overpower the subject.

Baka nang-aagaw ng attention yung table cloth na ginamit as background. Or yung accessories na mas malaki pa sa mismong subject.

3. 𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙬𝙡.

Dapat no splashes or splotches anywhere.

Magmu-mukhang madumi at unhygienic yung food itself kahit hindi.

4. 𝘿𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙙.

Iyun ang gagawin mong pinaka-sharp na parte ng image. Baka mas sharp pa yung hindi importante na elements kesa sa subject.

5. 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

Minsan, mas maganda pa yung putol na image kasi nae-enlarge nya yung subject at kita ang texture. Try different placement and accessories. 🙂

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗼, 𝗶𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗲-𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲:

Dapat, totoong masarap at malinis yung tinda nyo na pagkain nyo! 😁

* And if you want to follow my food adventures (or misadventures 😄😅🍩), you can follow this page below:

Chef-Chefan 😁

https://www.facebook.com/share/DexoNZX3fyGqveC2/?mibextid=wwXIfr

16/12/2024

Sa #3, pwede din I-post sa social media. 😃

Sabay-sabay tayo, let’s do this! 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼

12/12/2024

You can also use the utensils to show snippet of your business. 🙂

Marang-Marang Women's Association Have you’ve been practicing your photography skills and the lessons learned from the last workshop? 😏📸🥙

Post nyo nga mga practice shots nyo! Tingnan natin ang progress nyo. 😃

11/12/2024

When designing for your labels, consider the following:

✅ color

✅ images

✅ fonts

✅ copy

And all other elements that will make your product stand out when it gets to the market shelves, along with similar items. 😏

15/11/2024

So out of curiosity, I asked my designer friends which of the outputs during a product development workshop I conducted in Isabela City, Basilan,

resonated with them ? 😀😏

This group of designers are all outstanding in their fields -

These were just some of the descriptions:

✨ Fashion designer

✨International Interior Designers including an Interior Designer for celebrities ( Ehem… Bea A. lang naman was one of them😃)

✨A multi-awarded performing artist (collaborated with the likes of Ryan Cayabyab , was a member of The Company) and a painter

✨ Pottery artist

✨ Paint artists

✨ Multi-discipline designer ( she topped our board exam lang naman, ehem! 😃)

✨ Product Designer like myself and a great crafter

✨ A wood-burning artist

Whew! 😅

Madami sila but these are just some of the descriptions of the members. 😅

✨An esteemed designer, artist, professor and advocate of Mindanaoan arts also recommended incorporating the local weaves for a higher value transformation of the bags.

I totally agree! (As soon as the lines become squalado.) 😁

Anyways, here are their picks!

*Drum roll…! 🥁

👉🏻 Click each photo to see which designer profile chose which! 🙂




# bagdesigns

Everyone󱢏

05/11/2024

For the opportunity to teach and share knowledge with the women of Isabela City in Basilan,

Maraming salamat The Asia Foundation!

It was fun to see creativity getting unlocked from every participant.

And my gulay! Parang gustong maging models din ang mga Accelerate women natin after the workshop! 😀❤️😃

***

For assisting us everyday, thank you Foundation and PESO Public Employment Service Office Isabela City! 🙏




https://www.facebook.com/share/r/f2UyQBASEgNwf34B/?mibextid=UalRPS

04/11/2024

What were the changes I made to the coffee label of Jari’s Coffee?

Firstly, I got more data about the product. It’s the Kahawa Sug or native Robusta coffee that’s served in eateries, coffee shops, and households in Sulu.

The first time I realized that Sulu makes coffee was when I saw one from the shelf of a Starbucks coffee branch. It’s in a section of the coffee shop where beans from different countries were displayed.

That was eons ago though. 😁

So, I am mighty glad that I got introduced to the Kahawa Sug in a deeper level. ☕️

Anyways, below were the changes I made.

1. I incorporated an element that’s found in Sulu, the 𝙎𝙖𝙧𝙪𝙠 or native hat woven from bamboo, to peg a locality.

2. I added a tagline that represents the Indigenous People of the Sulu Archipelago, the Tausugs:

“𝑻𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒖𝒈 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒄𝒖𝒑”

“Tau” means people and “Sug” or “Suug” is the old name of Jolo Island.

Tausug also means “People of the Current”.

3. I added a description, “fine Robusta …”

4. The contact information

5. I made provision for future expansion by the business owner to selling beans too and not just ground coffee.

6. Another provision for future implementation is the description of how beans were roasted.

7. The date indicator on when to best consume the coffee

8. And of course, the brand name of Jari’s Coffee. 😃

It wasn’t the owner’s name nor the wife’s or the the kid’s.

The brand was named after the father who started the business when he was still alive.

The branding was a celebration and Aksan’s way of honoring what his father had started.

In consideration of the cost of printing for colored labels, I created a monochromatic version of the label.

During the conversation with Aksan, (the business owner) has another coffee variety that he sells at a lower price just because he didn’t know the properties and benefits of what that mixed product brings to the customers.

It’s the corn mixed with the coffee! 🌽🌽🌽

The corn actually adds more fiber to the mix. Corn is also rich in prebiotics ( the food for the probiotics) , rich in Zeaxanthin and lutein which are both good for the eyes. How much of these though is retained during roasting needs further testing but for the fiber alone, it’s phenomenal. 😀

In brief, it’s value dictates pricing comparable to the pure, all coffee grounds.

👉🏻 That’s actually what product clinic and branding workshop bring out, the discovery of values. 🙂

01/11/2024

Buti na lang, nandyan si Natalia para gisingin ang mga natutulog na dugo ng mga Brgy-Bagsak Parang Sulu youth before we get serious with the Color Appreciation workshop. 😄💃🏻🕺

Sino sa tingin nyo ang pinaka-malambot ang baywang? 😏💃🏻🕺

*Feeling ko gusto ng sumayaw din ni Ms. Anihar Cabrera. 😁

03/10/2024

Designing is fun. 🙂

Sharing below what I designed for the Ayala Foundation, Inc. a few years back.

In my head, the theme was a garden.

To complete this collection, I also designed a bird cage-like planter to complement the coasters.

Imagine having an afternoon tea (or coffee) using this coaster in a pocket of space in your house that’s filled with plants. One of those is placed inside a hanging “birdcage “. 😊🪴☕️

What’s t lesson here? 🤔

When creating a product, consider a collection.

A collection is like a family of related products that has a theme.

Kailangan ba na may theme?

Oo. Para hindi sabog ang hitsura at hindi mukhang tira-tira ang paninda.

A line is the other way of doing this but that’s for another post. 🙂

Ex. ng collection:

Glass coasters
Placemats
Napkin ring

Yung 3 nabanggit ay ginagamit sa hapag-kainan. 🙂

Ex. 2.

Clutch bag
Tote bag
Cellphone case

Lahat sila ay under Purses na category.

✨ By the way highway, lahat ng iyan under one collection should look similar.

Ang design at look ay similar. Not necessarily the same pero dapat ay may obvious na tema or theme.

Ex. 3.

BAG COLLECTION

Clutch bag- color lavender at may mga maliit na bulaklak na sampaguita.

Tote Bag- color pink at may boungaivi…e?!? Ay, rosas na bulaklak na lang.😅

Cellphone case- Color peach with leaves designs

𝘼𝙣𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙤?

Although not the same ang colors for the 3 items in the collection, all of them are in pastel colors and all of them have FLORA as the theme. 🙂

Got questions?

Comment it below. Try ko sagutin. 🙂

02/10/2024

Pagpasensyahan nyo na ang abot langit kong ngiti.

Nabigla at natuwa lang po ako. 😊

It was the 2nd day of workshop at Marang-Marang in . We’re just about to start when somebody handed me crispy shrimps on a saucer and (it’s like a local pancake) inside a sando bag.

In my mind, “Teka, maaga pa para sa merienda ah. .. Or, Binebentahan ba ako?” 😁

Nope.

Isniriya (tama ba yung naalala kong pangalan? 😅), Rahsa’s mother gave them to me as gifts.

It’s the Sama-Banguingui hospitality.🙏💜🙂

Why does it matter so much to me?

Folks, mahirap ang buhay sa probinsya.

Every penny counts. For Ma’am Isniriya to prepare what she gifted me requires buying flour and sugar, and oil. Not cheap ingredients in this inflation period.

So kung abot tenga ngiti ko, it was because I had witnessed again the Pinoy generosity, specifically the Bajau Sama-Banguingui way.

Magsukol! 💜🙏💜

25/09/2024

I am reposting this “recipe book” I made years ago to show that documenting recipes especially the ones that are part of the cultural heritage can also be fun (and colorful 🙂)!

Why document traditional recipes?

‘Coz it’s part of protecting a cultural tradition. Especially if the food is unique and attributable to a location.

Ex.

Pag sinabing matamis na mangga, you think of Guimaras mangoes.

Pag sinabing Alavar sauce, Zamboanga it is!

Banggitin ang sisig, Pampanga is the place.

Or Piaya of Bacolod,

Or Pusô rice in the Visayas region.

Sylvanas of Dumaguete,

Or tupig ng Tarlac!

( Parang bigla akong nagutom…🤔🤤😋).

Eh kung may magsabi na ang panyam ay sa Ilocos galing?

Or putli mandi ay sa Luzon nagmula?

Also, yung mga apo nyo in the future, or just maybe the younger generations after you deserve to know that the home-cooked, familiar dish/delicacy was documented for posterity. 🙂

In fact, sa Intellectual Property of the Philippines, ay may tinatawag na GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS.

“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙄 𝙍𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙚𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮, 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙜𝙚𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙/𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨.”

- www.cruzmarcelo.com

Ang Guimaras Mangoes ang unang nakapag-rehistro sa Pilipinas ng Geographical Indication sa IPO. 🥭

✨ Anong pagkain pa ang alam nyo na kakambal ang lugar na kanilang pinanggalingan? 🤔

👉🏻 Sige nga, ilagay nyo sa comments below. 😀

* Photos below were of Sama-Banguingui during a workshop in Bgy. Marang-Marang in Isabela City in Basilan.






Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines
Marang-Marang Women's Association

24/09/2024

𝙎𝙖 𝙩𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙤, 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙠𝙖-𝙠𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜.

Kung ano ang gusto nyo na pagkilala sa negosyo nyo, gayun din ang sasabihin at ilalabas sa mga posts in social media ninyo.

Parang tao lang din- kung gusto nyo na makilala na mabait at makatao, kikilos at tutulong sa kapwa. 🙂

Eh kung gusto nyo na makilala kayo ma matapang ✊🏽 at di uurong sa pagtama sa maling gawain,

aba naman, then your actions and words will speak for you. ( Hehe, nag-Ingles na ako, ang haba mag-text sa Filipino. 😅)

✨By the way, highway,

ang Branding ay hindi lang yung logo mo at favorite color 🌈 mo na ginamit mo na rin sa business.

Pero totoo din naman that your business represents you as the business owner. Kasama ang valúes mo rin dyan mga sisters and brothers. 😄

VALUES?!?

Yup.

Kristina PANERN yan?

Ex.
Nasa food business ka.

Gusto mo kumita.

Gusto mong yumaman at mag-travel around the world. ✈️🌎💶

Pero, more than money, mahalaga din sa iyo na sa pag-angat mo sa buhay ay kasabay din ang mga tao na nagtratrabaho para sa iyo.

That is your VALUE. At least one of the many perhaps.

It’s providing good food with good people. 🥙🏆👩‍❤️‍👩

( O, may tagline na para sa business.) 😄

So para mapakita iyang value ng business na iyan, kasabay ng logo mo at ng favorite colors mo,

👉🏻 Gamitin ang social media to communicate what grows the business and the aspects that are important for you too.

🤔 Paano ko malalaman ang value na yarn?

👉🏻 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙠, 𝘽𝙍𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘿𝙄𝙎𝘾𝙊𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙔!

How to do it? Send me a message and let’s find out what matters to you and your livelihood. 🙂

_ _ _

* Thank you The Asia Foundation for the opportunity to work with the Marang-Marang Women's Association and some ladies from . 🙏

** The beautiful, keep-worthy lesson handouts were care of Meetchymotch Villareal.

*** For patiently and tirelessly accompanying us through rain and strong waves during the workshop period , maraming salamat Isabela City Tourism , PESO Public Employment Service Office Isabela City, and ! 🙏🙏🙏

17/09/2024

Who would have thought that I would be teaching the to the Sama Banguingui of Marang-Marang and Lampinigan in Basilan one of these days?

I don’t know who’s happier-

✨the women who discovered the magic of the tools on their phones to empower their livelihood,

Or

✨ Me, for realizing how self-gratifying to be sharing knowledge with those who need it most.

Good job -Marang Women’s Association! I couldn’t have chosen a more engaged group of “students”.

Ang gagaling ninyo at talagang sinusunod ninyo ang mga natutunan nyo.

Rooting for your success ,

MOO

_ _ _

💜 Maraming salamat sa City Government of Isabela de Basilan, Isabela City Tourism, Assistance Center, PESO Public Employment Service Office Isabela City for assisting the Accelerate Project workshop by The Asia Foundation.

They were present and very supportive during the whole period of the workshop. 🙏🙂🎉